http://www.post-gazette.com/ Technology articles and blog entries from TechMan en-us Copyright 2010, post-gazette.com. Sat, 31 Jul 2010 18:10:36 -0400 15 http://www.post-gazette.com/includes/2007design/images/150x30pg_now_logo.gif http://www.post-gazette.com/ 144 39 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10211/1076426-96.stm?cmpid=tech.xml Two of the biggest European operators of Internet betting sites, PartyGaming and Bwin Interactive Entertainment, said Thursday that they planned to merge, forming the world's largest publicly traded online gambling company. Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10211/1076427-96.stm?cmpid=tech.xml SAN FRANCISCO -- The Justice Department has joined a whistle-blower in accusing Oracle, the business software giant, of defrauding the federal government by overcharging for software. Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10211/1076428-96.stm?cmpid=tech.xml I have faith that once the novelty of the coolest new smartphone feature wears off, I will again walk the streets with my eyes open to the world around me, not to the screen of a smartphone. Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10210/1076192-96.stm?cmpid=tech.xml SEATTLE -- Amazon.com will introduce two new versions of the Kindle e-reader on Thursday, one for $139, the lowest price yet for the device. Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10210/1076193-96.stm?cmpid=tech.xml Nuance, the company that makes Dragon NaturallySpeaking for Windows, is in a pretty sweet position: It's essentially a monopoly. One by one, its competitors in the speech-recognition business have either left the market (Philips), gone out of business (Lernout & Hauspie) or turned over its product to Nuance (I.B.M.). Even the sole Mac speech-recognition program, MacSpeech Dictate, can no longer be considered a kind of rival; Nuance bought it this year. Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10210/1076194-96.stm?cmpid=tech.xml MADRID -- Telefónica, the Spanish telecommunications company, has won full control of Vivo, the mobile phone venture it had with Portugal Telecom in Brazil, after raising its bid for a third time, to €7.5 billion, thereby overcoming opposition from the Portuguese government. Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10210/1076195-96.stm?cmpid=tech.xml Bright Lights, Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10210/1076196-96.stm?cmpid=tech.xml The message from the 14-year-old Tunisian skateboarder was curt. "Totally wrong," he said of my French. My conjugation was off and I should study spelling. On a scale of one to five, he said, my French practice essay was worth a one. Then he disappeared into the anonymity of the Internet. Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10210/1076063-96.stm?cmpid=tech.xml The police chief for Industry filed a lawsuit against AT&T Mobility recently, claiming the company improperly released his cell phone records to his wife. Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10209/1075829-96.stm?cmpid=tech.xml LOS ANGELES -- The Walt Disney Company on Tuesday became Hollywood's leader in the booming social game business by acquiring Playdom in a deal worth as much as $763.2 million. Wed, 28 Jul 2010 02:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10209/1075830-96.stm?cmpid=tech.xml TOKYO -- Yahoo Japan will use Google technology to power its Internet search engine and search advertising platform, the Japanese company announced Tuesday, diverging from a nascent alliance between the U.S. Internet portal Yahoo and Microsoft. Wed, 28 Jul 2010 02:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10209/1075831-96.stm?cmpid=tech.xml PARIS -- Across Europe, cash-strapped governments looking for ways to reduce yawning budget gaps are embracing online gambling, a source of revenue they once viewed with wary skepticism. Wed, 28 Jul 2010 02:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10209/1075734-96.stm?cmpid=tech.xml What do a simulation of swimming fish, a video of a brown-haired girl, alternating layers of solid colors and a multilayer version of the classic puzzle video game of Tetris have in common? Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10209/1075768-96.stm?cmpid=tech.xml Until this week, hacking an iPhone was like jaywalking for techies: easy, common and illegal. Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400